Nature of Science
4. Francesca creates a model that shows the movement of the tectonic plates of the Earth's surface. If she wants to use the model to understand the concept of how a mountain is formed, how does that model help her? SC.7.N.1.5
A. It shows all of the plates in the correct layout.
B. It explains in detail how mountains are formed.
C. It displays details that cannot be seen in a drawing.
D. It speeds up a process that takes millions of years
C. It displays details that cannot be seen in a drawing
78. Convection currents occur in which of Earth's layers? SC.7.E.6.5
A. crust
B. lithosphere
C. mantle
D. solid core
C. mantle
20. In a human body, which of the following represents the highest level of structural organization? SC.6.L.14.1
A. an atom in the lung
B. lung tissue
C. the lungs
D. the respiratory system
D. the respiratory system
47. Vinnie places his cold drink on the roof of a hot car. Which of the following correctly describes what happens next? SC.7.P.11.4
A. The temperature of the drink increases as it sends cold into the hot metal of the car.
B. Heat is transferred from the car into the drink and increases the temperature of the drink.
C. Cold is transferred from the drink into the metal of the car, decreasing the temperature of the roof.
D. The temperature of the area under the drink decreases until it is the same temperature as the cold drink.
B. Heat is transferred from the car into the drink and increases the temperature of the drink.
When Charlie came home from school, he turned on a garden hose that had been sitting in the sun all day. The water that came out of the hose was so hot, he could hardly touch it. What happened to the water molecules that made the water feel so hot? SC.7.P.11.2
A. The solar energy hitting the hose made the water molecules move faster.
B. The individual water molecules got larger as they absorbed the solar energy.
C. The warmth of the soil around the hose made the water molecules move slower.
D. The heat energy from the Sun was stored as chemical energy in the water molecules.
A. The solar energy hitting the hose made the water molecules move faster
Pat has two kinds of plant food,"Quickgrow" and "Supergrow." What would be the best way for Pat to find out which plant food helps a particular type of houseplant grow the most? SC.8.N.1.1
A. Put some Quickgrow on a plant in the living room, put some Supergrow on a plant of the same type in the bedroom, and see which one grows the most.
B. Find out how much each kind of plant food costs, because the more expensive kind is probably better for growing plants.
C. Put some Quickgrow on a few plants, put the same amount of Supergrow on a few other plants of the same type, put all the plants in the same place, and see which group of plants grows the most.
D. Look at the advertisements for Quickgrow, look at the advertisements for Supergrow, and see which one says it helps plants grow the most.
C. Put some Quickgrow on a few plants, put the same amount of Supergrow on a few other plants of the same type, put all the plants in the same place, and see which group of plants grows the most
68. What must happen in order for a metamorphic rock to be transformed into an igneous rock? SC.7.E.6.2
A. It must be compressed by high temperatures and pressure within Earth's crust.
B. It must be soaked in water until it dissolves and reforms in a different shape.
C. It must be pulled under Earth's crust, melted, and forced out above the crust to cool.
D. It must be weathered into sand grains and compressed into multiple layers
C. It must be pulled under Earth's crust, melted, and forced out above the crust to cool.
22. A cell can be seen by looking through a microscope. Seeing which of these organelles would let you know that you are looking at a plant cell? SC.6.L.14.4
A. mitochondria
B. chloroplast
C. cell membrane
D. nucleus
B. chloroplast
45. Arianna is experimenting with different materials to see which one will transmit sound the fastest. Through which of the following materials will sound waves travel the fastest? SC.7.P.10.3
A. air
B. concrete
C. oil
D. water
B. concrete
28. Joe has a cat with black fur (BB) and a cat with white fur (bb). What would be the genotype of their offspring? SC.7.L.15.2
A. BB
B. Bb
C. bb
D. Bbbb
B. Bb
Colleen waters the plants in her greenhouse once every day. She wants to find out if the plants will grow more leaves if they are watered more often. She counts the number of leaves on each plant before she starts. She then continues to water half of each type of plant once daily, but she waters the other half of each type twice a day. What is the outcome variable (dependent variable) in Colleen's experiment? SC.8.N.1.1
A. the type of plant being grown
B. the number of leaves the plants grow
C. the amount of light the plants receive
D. the number of times the plants are watered
B. the number of leaves the plant grows
When a warm air mass and cold air mass come together, like a warm front and cold front, a typical outcome is rain. What explains why rain forms in this situation? SC.6.E.7.4
A. The cold air causes the moisture in the warm air to condense and precipitate as rain.
B. The cold air is moving faster than the warm air, which causes rain.
C. Because the cold air is denser, it causes rain.
D. The two air masses neutralize each other, which results in clouds that produce rain.
A. The cold air causes the moisture in the warm air to condense and precipitate as rain.
4. How do molecules from food and molecules of oxygen that enter the body through the mouth and the nose move to cells of the body? SC.6.L.14.5
A. Molecules from food and molecules of oxygen move from the mouth and the nose to cells of the body through a series of blood vessels, including veins, arteries, and microscopically small blood vessels (capillaries), that extend throughout the body.
B. Molecules from food and molecules of oxygen move from the nose and the mouth to cells of the body through special respiratory and digestive tubes that directly connect the lungs and stomach to the rest of the body.
C. Molecules from food and molecules of oxygen move from the mouth and the nose to cells of the body through special respiratory and digestive tubes that directly connect the mouth and nose to the rest of the body.
D. Molecules from food and molecules of oxygen do not move from the mouth and the nose to cells of the body. Oxygen is breathed in and out of the lungs without entering the cells of the body, and molecules from food enter the digestive tract and pass through the body without entering cells of the body.
B. Molecules from food and molecules of oxygen move from the nose and the mouth to cells of the body through special respiratory and digestive tubes that directly connect the lungs and stomach to the rest of the body.
On a sunny day, Heidi and some of her classmates are playing kickball during PE. She kicks the ball past second base, and it rolls uphill to a stop. She runs to first base, but before she gets any farther, the bell rings and everyone has to go back inside. SC.7.P.11.2 Which of these is an example of kinetic energy changing to potential energy?
A. the ball rolling uphill to a stop
B. the bell ringing inside the school
C. the Sun warming the playground
D. the players running from base to b
A. the ball rolling uphill to a stop
Jill is creating a scale model of the Solar System. She uses a basketball to represent the Sun. Which of the following should she use to most accurately represent the size of Earth? SC.8.E.5.3
A. tennis ball
B. ping pong ball
C. marble
D. grain of sand
C. marble
8. Christy wants to find out if the birds that visit the bird feeders in her backyard would rather build nests in birdhouses or in trees. She puts a birdhouse next to the feeder containing sunflower seeds and hangs a feeder containing cracked corn from a tree. She observes the birds' nesting activities over the next two weeks and records her observations. Which of the following would improve Christy's investigation? SC.8.N.1.1
A. putting more food in both bird feeders
B. setting the feeders up closer to each other
C. putting the same kind of food in both bird feeders
D. setting up a third bird feeder containing fruit near a bird bath
66. If you walk barefoot on hot asphalt, energy is transferred by which process? SC.6.E.7.5
A. convection
B. radiation
C. conduction
D. reflection
C. conduction
Ants burrow into a thorn of the Acacia tree to live and eat sugar secreted by the tree. These ants are a benefit to the Acacia because they attack the tree's predators. What type of relationship do the ants and these trees share? SC.7.L.17.2
A. commensalism
B. competition
C. mutualism
D. parasitism
C. mutualism
51. Ignoring mass and weight contributed by fuel, what happens when the space shuttle takes off and moves away from Earth? SC.6.P.13.1
A. Its mass decreases and weight increases.
B. Its mass increases and weight decreases.
C. Its mass remains constant and weight decreases.
D. Its mass remains constant and weight increases.
C. Its mass remains constant and weight decreases
85. There are many objects that are part of our Solar System including planets, moons, asteroids, and the Sun. Which of those objects has the greatest gravitational force? SC.8.E.5.7
A. asteroids
B. the Sun
C. moons
D.planets
B. the Sun
In what way is a scientific law different from a scientific theory? SC.7.N.3.1 A.
A law is true in all situations and all circumstances, while a theory is only true in certain instances.
B. A law describes the major ideas of the universe, while theories are based on the smaller ideas of the universe.
C. A law is based on testable facts and data, while a theory is just a combination of one or more hypotheses that have not been tested.
D. A law expresses a relationship between two or more variables, while a theory explains the causal mechanism of how something happens
D. A law expresses a relationship between two or more variables, while a theory explains the causal mechanism of how something happens
81. Which statement is true regarding measuring distances in space? SC.8.E.5.3
A. An astronomical unit (AU) is larger than a light year.
B. The time taken for light to travel through our Solar System is longer than that for light to travel through the Milky Way.
C. The Earth is one astronomical unit (AU) from the Sun.
D. All of the terrestrial planets are more than one astronomical unit (AU) from the Sun.
C. The Earth is one astronomical unit (AU) from the Sun.
Sandra measured her heart rate and her breathing rate at rest and again after doing 50 jumping jacks. What is the main reason that both her heart rate and her breathing rate went up with exercise? SC.6.L.14.5
A. They both sped up to supply her working muscles with enough oxygen to remain in homeostasis.
B. Her lungs and heart ran short on oxygen while she was exercising and sped up to maintain homeostasis.
C. Her muscles were out of shape and required extra blood and oxygen in order to maintain her jumping pace.
D. They both increased in order to carry heat away from her working muscles more efficiently
A. They both sped up to supply her working muscles with enough oxygen to remain in homeostasis
56. Jacob went down to the lake on a very still day. The water's surface was completely smooth and he could see a tree reflected perfectly in the water. A breeze came up and disturbed the surface of the water and the reflection of the tree disappeared. Why could he see the tree's reflection when the water was still, but not when it was disturbed? SC.7.P.10.3
A. The disturbed surface made the light waves reflect in many directions, breaking up the image.
B. The disturbed surface allowed some of the light waves to penetrate into the water, making gaps in the image.
C. The disturbed surface kept the light waves from reflecting, making it impossible to see an image.
D. The disturbed surface changed the light waves' wavelengths, changing the reflected image.
A. The disturbed surface made the light waves reflect in many directions, breaking up the image
73. An unusual type of fossil clam is found in rock layers high in the Swiss Alps. The same type of fossil clam is also found in the Rocky Mountains of North America. From this, scientists conclude that SC.7.E.6.4
A. glaciers carried the fossils up the mountains
B. the Rocky Mountains and the Swiss Alps are both volcanic in origin
C. clams once lived in mountains, but have since evolved into sea-dwelling creatures
D. the layers of rocks in which the fossils were found are from the same geologic age
D. the layers of rocks in which the fossils were found are from the same geologic age